Introspection & Prayer: How the Unexpected Can Change Your Life

I was up and ready for a long day of freelance work. The beauty of the type of freelancing that I do is that it can be done from anywhere in the world, but I was called upon this day for a good ole “face-to-face, work side by side” type of day. And on this day, I received far more than I bargained for.

I walked in to greet the lady I was working for who essentially came as a blessing in two forms, one as a client, but more importantly, as an envoy that led me towards a much-needed message. We were working for hours to reach her goals, and we worked diligently and made a lot of headway. In the midst of working together, we began to have a conversation about the correlation between prayers and blessings. She then asked, “Have you ever seen a movie called War Room?” I replied, “No, but I remember hearing a couple of people speak about it when it first came out.” She then became very passionate, explaining to me how this film changed her entire perspective, her method of praying, and how she had seen blessings flow ever since. “Wow, that’s amazing! I really need to check it out!”

As soon as I found time at the close of this past weekend, I was able to sit down and watch War Room. Not even a good fifteen minutes in, I was startled because it touched on issues that I had recently encountered in regards to finances and relationship woes. This movie literally brought me to tears—and I don’t be crying over any movies! I saw myself in the lead character, Elizabeth, by the way she dealt with issues, and how those methods got her nowhere. Elizabeth then met an old woman who taught her a better way through introspection and prayer. Those were my biggest takeaways from the film, and like my client, it has changed my perspective completely.

Introspection is so crucial to our personal growth, as well as our growth in relationships with others. I now understand that I can learn so much more and become a better person through self-reflection, and by re-focusing on my own actions, instead of the actions of another. At the end of the day, we can only control ourselves and will have to answer to God for our actions alone.

When it comes to dealing with others, we have to understand that it isn’t our job to try to change people. It is exhausting to even try—trust me, I know because I’ve tried several times! We also should not keep a list of wrongs, and try to avenge them all. It only makes us bitter, callous, and unhappy. Our duty is to pray for people, and allow God to change their hearts, as well as handle them as He sees fit.

Before viewing the film, I never had a special place to pray or had ever written down any of my prayers. The old woman introduced Elizabeth to her “war room,” in which she used to metaphorically do her “fighting” (i.e. praying). It was a closet that she prayed in, where she also housed her written prayers. I was so moved by this that I wanted to try it out.

The statement “prayer changes things” may sound cliché; but it is now an understatement to me, simply based off of some events that have transpired in my life after adopting this new way of thinking and praying just over the past couple of days. It’s amazing how God works through others to reach you when you need it the most.

You know what they say, “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” I can honestly say that I had been doing some things the same way and reacting in the same manner in certain situations for so long, and have repeatedly received unfavorable results. All in all, it was time for a change, and I am so grateful for the unexpected message and shift in mindset. I plan to continue with this new outlook and lifestyle change, and look forward to new blessings and new outcomes in the future.

N7,

Candidly C

#spiritual #religious #prayer #introspection #lifechanging #WarRoom